confused which light for £250 is best

I was looking at the torch by wicked lazers but after reading on here its not practical 10 mins used all its battery and gets to hot and not very reliable at all so now im after a flashlight that is cost effective and super bright is can be a hid or led im not bothered i live in the uk so it must be able to use uk plugs for charging aswel and i dont want to speed over £250 pounds as its for walking the dog in the woods and a bit of fun.
I have read all the reviews and very confused to say the least so can you please help me and a big hi to everyone on here as im a newbie.

well, if you're just walkin the dog and all, i'd say get TWO lights, one main light and a backup. The Fenix TK40 (runs on 8xAAs) would be a good light, hefty with multimodes so you can balance output and runtime. Then a second light (smaller of course) either holstered or in your pocket as a backup.

For the 2nd light, it depends on whether you'd like to retain commonality in cells (i.e. keep using AAs) or switch to something else. I will work on the assumption that you're going to stick to AAs.

The choice then is, would you like a single AA or double AA light? Single AAs are of course smaller but would have less runtime than a double AA.

So why not get THREE lights your budget i think would support a Fenix TK40, Quark AA2 and Quark AA. All these lights are available at 4sevens (use "CPF8" for a discount) and i think that there is a Fenix UK if customs duties are an issue.

If you do decide to order from the UK outlet, then the Quarks are no longer an option but Fenix has great AA and 2xAA lights as well.

Why get one if your budget lets you get 3? Get those, a load of eneloops and a charger and you're all set.

i just took a quick look at the UK site, the TK40 (124.95), LD10 (42.95) and LD20 (47.95) will add up to about 216 quid and there's free UK delivery and batteries.

Hope this helps!

Oh and :welcome:

your wallet may not thank you though

EDIT: to check out the lights that i referred to above, you can search here and also on youtube by just typing "TK40 youtube" and a whole host of video reviews will pop up. Here is one review to start you off.

If you can, wait and see how much 47's Maelstrom will cost.

I suspect it will give most lights a run for their money in terms of bang-for-buck, even after factoring the cost of a set of rechargable CR123s.

I'm running a TK40 and a Romison RC-C6 set to flood. Perfect combination as far as I'm concerned - I really don't think I'll need any other lights. Don't misinterpret that... I'll want and will no doubt get other lights, but I don't need them.

The TK40 is a great thrower, and has the variable light outputs which makes it pretty much ideal for any time I want to see 'out in front' such as just looking a way down the path, or right across a field to find the other end of the footpath.

The RC-C6 gives me a nicer flood to walk by. It's better than the TK40 at lighting a nice area just in front of my feet, which makes it an ideal companion for walking across a field. The TK40 flood is ok, but to get the same amount of light on the flood you need to crank it up a bit, and the spot is then distracting.

Combined, the two are about as good as it gets to my mind - I have a lovely beam out front with a nice ambient flood, then a more intense flood nearer to my feet for avoiding things like rabbit holes, cow poo etc.

The two can be had for a lot less than £250, which leaves you a sensible amount of money in your budget for a good charger (Maha/Powerex C9000 - £50) and some sets of eneloops.

I'd go for www.flashaholics.co.uk for the Fenix or other flashlights plus your eneloops - customer service is very good. www.cpc.co.uk for the C9000 as it's the cheapest UK retailer with it at the moment.

FenixTorch UK is not the same company as FenixLight who make the flashlights - some people seem to think it is.

Are you aware how bright these things are? 200 lumens OTF (Out The Front) is plenty for walking the pooch. Personally I would always carry two lights just in case. I picked up an Akoray/Nkoray K106 from DX for a mere £9 and honestly that would probably suit many people at it outputs about 90 lumens on max with 1 AA battery. One option is to buy two torches and clamp tham together with a Fenix bike mount. That is my approach and it ensures that I am not lost if one goes down. And the light output is massive. :naughty: (Well, compared to ordinary torches.) The Fenix TK40 is a gem, but I do not fancy charging 8 NiMH batteries given that I would have to do that twice a week.

Magic Matt said:

I'd go for www.flashaholics.co.uk for the Fenix or other flashlights plus your eneloops - customer service is very good. www.cpc.co.uk for the C9000 as it's the cheapest UK retailer with it at the moment.

FenixTorch UK is not the same company as FenixLight who make the flashlights - some people seem to think it is.

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Fenix Torch UK is one of a group of web sites that includes Flashaholics. I bought from them, and sent several emails including a request for a written invoice (which was not included with the torch) and they did not even reply, so I will not deal with them again.

LeifUK said:

The Fenix TK40 is a gem, but I do not fancy charging 8 NiMH batteries given that I would have to do that twice a week.

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Twice a week? I must admit I don't keep mine on high - just boost it up when I need to then drop it back down again. My only complaint - no temporary boost. As you say, 90 lumens is pretty good for most things, and that's the most used mode on mine - that's a good 16 hours on the eneloops.

LeifUK said:

Fenix Torch UK is one of a group of web sites that includes Flashaholics.

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True, they're both AJC Trading - didn't have a problem when I ordered though. The invoice came by seconds via email. When I had a query with the order, I got a polite reply to my email answering my query within 4 hours. Perhaps you were just unlucky?

The box Fenix supply has China listed as their main location, so not even the remotest chance that it's their site anyway. I think the way fenixtorch.co.uk is branded could lead people to believe that they are buying from the manufacturer, and I had the site address given to me as 'the manufacturers website' by somebody (not via this forum I should point out).

:welcome:
The wicked lasers torch is great for starting fires. But you can do the same thing and easier with a match. Not to mention in parts of Australia and California and other places they will throw you in jail for accidentally starting fires.


An HID is that great big thing on the chair. It weighs a ton. Tebore who brought it complained of a sore back for a week afterwards. Not suitable for walking the dog.

Going for the brightest LED torch won't help you that much. If you look at the picture of Electrolumens Kong 12 you'd see it is not suitable for walking the dog either.
http://www.cpfmarketplace.com/mp/showpost.php?p=2336775&postcount=63

Yesterday I met with a fellow CPF member. I took my SSC-P7 Mag. Checked it before I left. Full brightness. Turned it on at the meet. It dimmed to less than a cheap 2AA torch in under 3 seconds. Rechargeable batteries can die real fast. 2 torches are definitely in order.

1) Select runtime (at least 2X the time of your walks).
2) Select comfortable carrying size. (Your backup has to be pocketable or holster-able).
3) Select battery types you are willing to use.
Let us know so we can help you better.

£250 is a lot of money for a utility torch. It can get lost, stolen, dropped and broken, killed by leaking batteries.
I recommend not going over $75 or £50 per torch until you can select it yourself. You may not like someone else's favourite thing.

Magic Matt said:

Twice a week? I must admit I don't keep mine on high - just boost it up when I need to then drop it back down again. My only complaint - no temporary boost. As you say, 90 lumens is pretty good for most things, and that's the most used mode on mine - that's a good 16 hours on the eneloops.

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That's a fair point, it's not just a light canon, but has long life at lower settings. I want high power for cross country running, and I recharge my lights before every run.

Magic Matt said:

True, they're both AJC Trading - didn't have a problem when I ordered though. The invoice came by seconds via email. When I had a query with the order, I got a polite reply to my email answering my query within 4 hours. Perhaps you were just unlucky?

The box Fenix supply has China listed as their main location, so not even the remotest chance that it's their site anyway. I think the way fenixtorch.co.uk is branded could lead people to believe that they are buying from the manufacturer, and I had the site address given to me as 'the manufacturers website' by somebody (not via this forum I should point out).

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I thought Fenix Store UK was the manufacturer's UK shop. The name does kind of suggest that.

He ignored 3 emails I sent after placing the order. I got the electronic invoice of course, but I very politely asked for a written invoice (which is usual) but it seems that I was too insignificant to reply to. I waited two weeks for a response, and got none, so I sent an email saying that he came across as a cowboy. He replied very quickly to that one and was rather arrogant. He didn't apologise for not replying to several emails.

Oddly enough I ordered an item from a ebay seller at the same time. I received an automated invoice, a separate email that day thanking me for the purchase, and an email the next day with the Royal Mail tracking code. Fenix store only sent the automated reciept, and no tracking code. And the Fenix Store item arrived several days after the ebay one.

It's odd that these high quality torches are not available in high street shops, where you only find LED Lenser and Maglite.

LEDninja said:

£250 is a lot of money for a utility torch. It can get lost, stolen, dropped and broken, killed by leaking batteries.
I recommend not going over $75 or £50 per torch until you can select it yourself. You may not like someone else's favourite thing.

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Very sensible points. I'm sure there must be a law against using such a powerful light as the ones you link to in the UK. Would it be legal for use along roads? Even ~200 lumens seems to unsettle car drivers.

And can these powerful lights cause permanent damage to human and/or animal eyes? There might also be the issue of disturbing wildlife if you walk through sensitive areas. Could you blind an owl, which subsequently flies into a tree trunk? Or disturb breeding birds, such that they abandon the nest? (Maybe not, but I do wonder.)

LeifUK said:

It's odd that these high quality torches are not available in high street shops, where you only find LED Lenser and Maglite.

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That doesn't surprise me at all. I used to really be into Hi-Fi gear, but you only generally find Pioneer, Kenwood, Panasonic, Sony etc. on the high street, complete with the usual over-priced crazy thickness speaker cables and connecting cables that any real enthusiast knows are pointless - I had to go to a specialist to get my Arcam amp, Nad CD player and Tannoy speakers.

I like my Fenix TK11 R2 quite ALOT. Its size is perfect for me as EDC. 240 lumen with a 18650 is great in my opinion. As a backup, i have the Fenix LD10 - it puts out 120 lumens with just a single AA battery.

Best is.. should anything happend to your flashlight (dead circuit or anything else), Fenix is happy help you!

LeifUK said:

I'm sure there must be a law against using such a powerful light as the ones you link to in the UK. Would it be legal for use along roads? Even ~200 lumens seems to unsettle car drivers.

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No laws for portable lighting, and only very lax laws for fixed lighting. That may well change, as massively powerful lighting sources become easier and cheaper for the general public to own. We're already seeing reactions to the use of green laser pointers, because people behave stupidly with them. Ultimately that's what will cause the problems - the UK reaction is to typically try and ban something outright rather than sensible restrictions.

LeifUK said:

And can these powerful lights cause permanent damage to human and/or animal eyes?

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That depends a lot on the nature of the exposure. The problem is mainly due to the reaction time of our blink reflex. Simple question - if the light were turned onto you, could you blink quick enough and shut your eyes before any damage was done. This is the main problem when we warn people against looking at the sun - no pain sensors in the eyes, so if you force yourself to look at the sun you could be burning the back of your eyes and you just wont feel it - the same happens with lasers, and the worst fear is actually from the infra-red light because being a non-visible light we wont blink, however it will still do damage to our eyes.

I think with a bright flashlight any wildlife would be most likely temporarily disorientated, providing it wasn't directly exposed by shining the light straight into their eyes. A temporarily disorientated animal is at risk of injury though - however, consider that the same effect happens to nocturnal animals during a lightening storm.

We do need to be careful not to include damaging UV ir IR wavelengths though, as both humans and animals are at risk. Most of the studies being done are related to static lighting (ie security lighting on buildings, car parks etc.) but I can see that being expanded.

...we may be drifting somewhat off topic here! ;-)

well, I dont think there is any law in the UK that prevent us from carrying a high powered torch. I normally carry my Pelican M6 3W just for self defense in case I get bug by someone drunk at night...

by the way GBP 250 is a lot of money. You can get quite a number of torch with that amount of money. Pick something that you like that has a reliable customer service.. such as surefire and pelican. Pelican is suprisingly expensive in the UK, so source it outside the UK hehe...

Magic Matt said:

the UK reaction is to typically try and ban something outright rather than sensible restrictions.

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I don't agree. I think we do have sensible restrictions. You can carry any knife as long as you need it and even if you don't need a knife, you can still carry a small one anyway. You can have a laser pointer that's strong enough to point with but not strong enough to easily hurt someone's eyes. You can break the speed limit by a bit without much fear of prosecution. You can even own a gun if you need to.
Quite often people say that everything in the UK is banned. Fact is, very little is banned but if you want something dangerous or harmful, you'd have to give a bloody good reason before you get to carry it around in public.

Anyhow, back to the question. I'd agree with some of the above posts. £250 is a bit overkill for walking the dog and mucking about with. Less than £100 will get you a multilevel light that will work for walking the dog, looking at things over 100m and impressing your friends yet it will still be small enough to go in a pocket.

Remember, anyone can pull out a "10 million candlepower" spotlight (£30 from B&Q) and light up a barn 200 meters away. Only those of us in the know can pull out a light the size of a finger and still light it up from 80 meters. Remember, the torch you can fish out of your pocket now is going to impress people more than the one you say is in the garage at home.

Finally, If you live anywhere near Windsor /Bracknell, send me a message and I'll show you what you can light up with a high powered small torch.

I decided on a Eagletac M2XC4 at £100 seems cheaper than a tk40 or the x21 and cheers for all the advice chapslovecpf

Veering off topic a bit here...


Gun law is complex - technically you can't carry the gun in public, you can carry a gun in a secured carrier, provided it is of the correct type. All guns with a self-contained gas cartridge system are banned outright. That's about the sum of my knowledge though... I don't like guns much.

Jay R said:

You can carry any knife as long as you need it and even if you don't need a knife, you can still carry a small one anyway.

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Can I suggest you take a look at the Criminal Justice Act 1988.

The burden of proof is reverse in any charge involving carrying a knife in a public place - the law deems that by carrying a knife the intent to use it has been proven, and so the 'good reason' clause is to allow the offender to protest their innocence, however this is in practice a lot harder than it sounds.

In effect, you could practically consider it a ban, since the mere act of carrying a knife in public would mean you were already in violation of the law.

Jay R said:

You can have a laser pointer that's strong enough to point with but not strong enough to easily hurt someone's eyes.

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Sorry, that one isn't quite true. Currently there is no law that stops you owning and using a laser even up to several watts in power. It is the law that in a business/professional environment you must use the correct health and safety equipment. There are a lot of recommendations from the Health Protection Agency about handling and operating procedures as well as training, but they are not legal requirements, except where failure to follow them breaches Health & Safety requirements. There are also the British Safety Standards that most laser pointers sold online don't meet - but it's only illegal to sell them (you're not complying with the General Product Safety Regulations) - you can still own one and use it. I didn't believe this myself until I had conversations at length via email with the Health Protection Agency's Laser and Optical Radiation Dosimetry Group.

I believe there is currently an act being put forward to ban the carrying of laser pointers in public in the same way as it is illegal to carry knives. Personally I'm in favour of a license rather than banning - I would happily carry a laser license in my wallet if required to in the same way I might carry a driving or fishing license.

Magic Matt said:

Can I suggest you take a look at the Criminal Justice Act 1988.
In effect, you could practically consider it a ban, since the mere act of carrying a knife in public would mean you were already in violation of the law .

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That act says "applies to a folding pocketknife if the cutting edge of its blade exceeds 3 inches".

Like I said....you can carry a small one. Trust me, there is no law saying that you can't carry a small swiss army knife in public.

Magic Matt said:

Currently there is no law that stops you owning and using a laser even up to several watts in power.

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I know that. Can't buy/can't own/can't shine at someone... Whatever
This isn't a legal forum. Most people on here know what I mean. I'm not trying to give legal advice you know.

bigsteve said:

I decided on a Eagletac M2XC4 at £100 seems cheaper than a tk40 or the x21 and cheers for all the advice chapslovecpf

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Good going. You should be happy with it. Welcome to the club.

OK back on topic
£250 to spend cool

I think someone mentioned flashahlics.co.uk they give 8% discount to cpf members with code "cpf"

So Fenix TK30 £119.95 = £110.35 will kill a 6cell standard maglite for power and range can easily see a person at over 150meters+ in fact even light up something the size of a bus, but its to exactly pocket sized.

So buy Fenix PD30 for you pocket £47.95 = £44.11 good for about 50 to 100 yards+. but to big for your keys.

So buy a ITP A3 EOS £18.95 = £17.43 good for about 20yards super small very bright makes a 2aa minimag look silly.

Batteries 2x aw 18650 2600mah for the TK30 £13.95each = £12.83 + £12.83 =£25.66

Batteries for your PD30 2x aw rcr123 £11.95a pair = £10.99

Charger from Pila-usa.com $49.99 +$15.00 postage = £40.00approx every one says its probably the best.

Batteries for the eos from tesco for energiser lithium £4.96

Total £248.54

Spare c123 primaries(non rechargable 123's)will fit both TK30 and PD30 6x energiser from flashaholics £11.95 = £10.99 (there about £5 each in the highstreet)

Each light comes with free bateries to get you started as well, but shop around see what you like dont forget if you buy from the states etc you may pay tax on anything over £18.00.

happy shopping

DM51 said:

NONE of this rambling nonsense has ANYTHING WHATEVER to do with the subject of this thread.

Please would members STAY ON TOPIC.

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SIR YES SIR!!!!